Cards and Akumas
by Pleasanttrouble
Summary: He smirked at me, "don't bother, there is no chance of you winning." "Really." I said, sarcastically, "Can I be dealt in, please. Actually, can I take dealer?" The silver stared at me a moment, before handing me the cards with a shrug. "Go ahead." There was a glint in his eye that told me, Ed hadn't been out gamed, he had been out cheated.


I walked into the bar, feet dragging as I walked. Sighing, I slung my bag off my shoulder and collapsed into a seat at the bar. Tapping on the wood a couple times, I caught the attention of the man wiping a glass a few feet away.  
He smiled, setting the glass down and walking toward me, "What can I get you miss?"  
"Water, or iced green tea if you have it."  
He pulled a glass from under the counter, filling it with a pale green liquid before placing it before me, "Anything with it?"  
"No, thank you." I said, smiling and taking a sip, "How much?"  
"Free for those in the black order." He said, going back to wiping the glass from before.  
I set the glass back down, "The black order?"  
"You're an exorcist, aren't you?"  
I laughed, "I'm a reaper, not an exorcist. And generally, both are trying to kill me. Apparently, I'm an akuma, whatever that is."  
Before the barman could respond, there was a cry from across the room, "How did I lose?"  
I smirked, recognizing the voice, and pick up my glass, heading to the table. The three people there were highly conspicuous from their hair, two of gold, one of silver.  
I snuck up behind the one who had spoke and wrapped an arm around his neck, and placed my other hand other his mouth, placing mine near his ear, "are you trying to disturb the entire world, because I don't think they heard you in Forks, Washington." I let him go and hit him over the head, taking the free seat between him and the silver boy.  
He stared at me in shock, "Merope, what are you doing here?"  
"I'm traveling, seeing the world. Want to deal me in?" I said, noting that they were playing poker.  
He smirked at me, "don't bother, there is no chance of you winning."  
"Really." I said, sarcastically, "Can I be dealt in, please. Actually, can I take dealer?"  
The silver stared at me a moment, before handing me the cards with a shrug.  
"Go ahead." There was a glint in his eye that told me, Ed hadn't been out gamed, he had been out cheated.  
Tapping the cards a few times, I dealt them and spoke, "So, who is our new friend?"  
The silver seemed to realize I was talking to him, "Allen Walker." He said with a smile, offering me a hand to shake.  
I took it, "Merope Marvollo Riddle. I noticed the symbol on your coat earlier. I don't recognize it. If I may ask?"  
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. It's the symbol of my job." We all picked up our hands and I fought back a grin.  
"Would it happen to be anything to do with the black order?" I pretended to be pondering my cards.  
He looked at me in shock, "How . . . "  
"The bar keeper said I didn't have to pay since I was from the black order, but I left him the charge anyway and didn't bother correcting him. He did however tell me the black order are exorcists."  
He looked closer at me, and a strange gear like a monocle appeared, his eye widening, "You're an akuma." He stated, his eyes narrowing again.  
"Call." I said, tossing a few gold pieces on the table, "You mind explaining what an Akuma is?" I said, barely responding to his reaction, "a few people have called me that, but I have no idea what it means. I kind of took it to mean a monster, daemon. I just shrugged it off and kept walking, I never saw any need to agree or disagree with their observation."  
"Call" Ed matched my gold pieces and Al did the same. "Speaking of daemons, how is your father?"  
I laughed, and Al chastised Ed on his choice of words, "Relax, Al. We all thought he was a daemon anyway. Dad's fine. He and Evan are happy together."  
"And that prince of yours?"  
"Which one, Draco or Zuko. Zuko is the Emperor of his nation. I helped him get the throne. Draco and I are still together happily, as well."  
"That's wonderful to hear, Merope." Al said, smiling to me.  
"Call and raise." Allen said, tossing the appropriate amount then adding ten more pieces. "An akuma is a weapon created by the Millennium Lord to destroy the human race. They are created from the pain and sorrow felt over a death and a deal is made with him to bring them back."  
I matched what he tossed, along with Ed and Al, "Sounds rather like me, doesn't it? And Truth."  
"No," Ed said, shaking his head, "Truth doesn't want people brought back, hence the cost."  
"Right, forgot the cost. Maybe I'm thinking of hollows. The problem is, hollows aren't grief, they are just those who don't pass on and are trapped on earth."  
"That year you spent in America in Death City, what were the creatures there?" Al asked, raising again.  
"Kishins." I said, "Shall we show our hands?" I asked with a smirk.  
Everyone else smiled at me, and together, we lay down our hands, saying, "Royal straight flush." Then the words caught up to the others, and they all glared at each other, none looking at me. Each of our hands was a royal straight flush in spades.  
I laughed at their reactions and flipped the entire deck, spreading the cards and laying them on the table. All of the cards were the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of spades. Only then, did they notice me.  
Allen looked on in confusion, "How . . . "  
I waggled my fingers mysteriously, "Magic."  
My uncles both face palmed epically and I laughed even harder. I passed my hand over all the cards, revealing the true cards, and finding that we did all have royal straight flushes. I had spades, Allen hearts, Ed clubs, and Al diamonds.  
"Well, there's that. I'll be taking that." I said, scooping the money up, depositing it into a pocket of my coat. Sensing something, I closed my eye, "we should move, a creature of some kind is going to smash through that wall if three seconds." I said, slipping my coat off and placing it over my bag at the bar.  
Ed and Al, both understanding, scrambled away from the wall, just as a large, round . . . thing smashed through the wall. A large chunk of wall landed on Allen's right arm, pinning him to the ground.  
The thing was a good eight foot diameter, and looked rather like a cross between an urchin and an arsenal. It bore down upon Allen, guns focused on him. Growling, I ran toward it, kicking it back through the hole it had created, before lifting the wall off Allen and running after the thing.  
It was kind of just hovering there, as if waiting for me. The moment I stepped out, it began firing at me. I dodged most, but one grazed my right cheek. It stopped firing, and just hovered again, an aura reminiscent of a smirk surrounding it.  
"If you're just going to sit there and smirk, then I'll simply kill you." I said, dashing forward, conjuring a scythe into my hands and cutting the thing in half. I kicked backwards off of it, and the thing exploded. A tingling ran through my cheek, going numb, and I sat upon the grass, waiting for something to happen.  
I wasn't disappointed, for not a minute later, Allen came out, his right arm larger and white, looking like a weapon in itself. He stopped next to me, looking around, "Where's the Akuma?"  
"Dead," I said, with a shrug. "I cut it in half and it exploded. What are in the bullets it shoots?"  
"Poison. Even the smallest scratch will kill you." He said.  
"Symptoms of the death?" I asked, trying to get feeling back in my face, my vision becoming dotted.  
He looking down at me, and noticing the black stars that were spreading across my face. He knelt beside me, tilting my head slightly, "you'll be dead within a minute."  
"Interesting," I said, nodding, "see you again in three then." I said, closing my eyes and letting the life flow out of me. I felt my body crumble into dust, before reforming as it had been before the attack.  
Opening my eyes again, I found my vision had returned to normal. "So that's how a Phoenix feels on a burning day." I stood and stretched, "so that was an Akuma, eh?"  
I pulled Allen to his feet from his confusion frozen position next to where a light covering of ash littered the ground. He could only seem to say one word, "H-how . . . "  
I did the same thing I did earlier, I waggled my fingers and said, "magic." Then I dropped my hands.  
"Really?"  
"No. The only magic I used was when conjuring the scythe. I am a being of immortality, living off the souls that reside in my body when needed, but usually, I simply live like a human."  
"Merope, something's wrong with brother."Al worried voice came from inside the damaged inn.  
Allen and I both ran into the bar to find Al with Ed in his lap, black stars littering his body. I cursed quietly, conjuring a crystal, and placing the in room a state of frozen time. "Al, lay Ed on the ground, and let me at him." I said, focusing my magic into my left hand and conjuring a crystal in the other. I lay my left hand on Ed's chest, syphoning the poison from his body and placing it inside the crystal. As the last of the stars faded, I removed the time block and strengthened the crystal, handing it to Allen, "Hold that for a second."  
He was in so much shock that he didn't even try to argue.  
Casting a temporary dark mark on my arm, I touched it, and said, "Severus Snape, I need you." After the command had been sent, I removed the tattoo, and went about repairing room while I waited for Sev to arrive. Half a minute in, Ed and Al joined me. Together, we used our alchemy to make it look like nothing had happened.  
Just as I was slipping my coat back on, a man walked out of the fireplace, strolling toward me. "You wanted something, Mer?" he asked, looking to be in a foul mood.  
"Sorry, Sev. I just thought you might want to experiment with a new poison," I said, hand the crystal to him. "Careful. The smallest amount will kill you. It touches the skin and the person is reduced to ashes."  
The foul mood was replaced with curiosity, and slight happiness. "Thank you my Merope." He said, hugging me. "Don't get yourself killed, all right?" he said, in way of farewell.  
"Too late." I muttered, grinning.  
He ruffled my hair, "not surprising. By the way, your father wants you home. He needs help getting everyone to calm down and listen to him. They want you back."  
I linked my arm through his, and smiled us at him, "Then, shall we head home? I can get us to London, and you can get us the rest of the way."  
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, "that would be wonderful, my dear. Thank you."  
"You are quite welcome, my Slytherin Snape. Ed, Al. Don't get yourselves killed. Allen, if you're ever in London, don't hesitate to stop by the Phantomhive Manor. Tell them Marvollo sent you." I waved to them all, twisting the ring on my thumb, "Long Live Ciel Phantomhive, Strongest of the guard dogs." I said in a clear voice, and the port key took us away.


End file.
